Why many men should seriously consider adding aftershave to their bathroom cupboard  |

What is an aftershave? TheCoolist describes it as “any liquid, gel, pasty or oily substance that you apply after shaving for the purpose of soothing irritated skin”.

If you didn’t know exactly what aftershave was, it’s probably because as a man you weren’t used to using it in the first place – and assumed you weren’t. never really needed it. However, adding an aftershave to your bathroom supplies can actually have some surprising benefits…

What exactly does aftershave do?

“While many consider the purpose of aftershave to be a fragrance, similar to cologne, it can actually play a useful role in post-shave skin recovery,” says dermatologist Dr Sonia Batra . men’s health.

This is due to astringents – such as alcohol or witch hazel – which are often listed as aftershave ingredients. If it’s common for your skin to be irritated after a shave, applying an aftershave can help soothe the irritation.

You may have given your skin a few nicks while shaving, in which case you can also take comfort in the ability of the aftershave to disinfect those nicks and stop any bleeding present as a result of shaving.

Do you really “need” an aftershave?

“Aftershave isn’t always necessary, but can be helpful for men with sensitive skin, acne, or frequent skin irritations,” Batra says. So the urgency with which you actually need to use aftershave may depend a lot on your specific situation.

It’s worth pointing out that aftershaves can differ significantly in their ingredients and, therefore, in their practical merits as well. There are many traditional alcohol-based aftershave splashes that actually only disinfect the shaved area.

Other aftershaves may contain oils which, when applied to an irritated shaved area, disinfect it and keep the skin moist. It might therefore be worthwhile for you to carefully examine the ingredient list of a particular aftershave before seriously considering whether to buy it.

You can, for example, browse the wide range of men’s aftershave products available at OnBuy – and ensure you’re getting an aftershave that will have the effect you want.

How to use aftershave?

Naturally, who better to answer that question than someone who uses aftershave as part of their daily job?

“I always start with a hot towel to open the pores, and end with a cleanser and a cold towel to close the pores,” Connecticut barber Jared Gelbert revealed. men’s health. “I use an aftershave to heal open, shaved skin, further disinfect and close pores, then rehydrate.”

However, if you apply aftershave yourself and at your own pace, the process is thankfully pretty self-explanatory. All you really have to do is massage the aftershave into the areas you just shaved, then let the stuff soak into the pores.

While it’s possible to “walk away” without using an aftershave, ignoring it can backfire in the longer term, especially if the skin you shave regularly is prone to irritation.

background image by Nolan Kent on Unsplash